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Guess Which State Just Passed the Most Restrictive Abortion Law in the Country

While I was glued to Twitter waiting for the Supreme Court's ruling on Prop 8 today, another story popped up on my feed: North Dakota Governor Jack Dalrymple's approval of a six-week abortion ban. This piece of legislation—signed earlier today— is officially the most restrictive abortion law in the country, and that's officially something we must talk about.

Here's what's going on, according to The New York Times: The law bans abortion procedures if a fetal heartbeat can be detected—something that can happen as early as six weeks into a pregnancy. If that sounds like it conflicts with the Roe v. Wade ruling that legally allows a procedure to be completed up until a fetus is considered viable, which usually happens around 22 to 24 weeks, that's because it does. Despite his strong support for the new measure, Dalrymple concedes that this bill is likely to be contested: "Although the likelihood of this measure surviving a court challenge remains in question, this bill is nevertheless a legitimate attempt by a state legislature to discover the boundaries of Roe v. Wade," he said said in the Times on Tuesday.

There have been lots of rumblings in abortion legislation lately; earlier this month, lawmakers approved a 12-week ban in Arkansas that would outlaw abortion procedures if a fetal heartbeat can be detected via abdominal ultrasound.

The Republican-led North Dakota Legislature has also proposed another measure banning abortions after the 20-week mark on the grounds that a fetus can feel pain at that point in a pregnancy. This motion will hit Governor Dalrymple's desk next week. And the lawmakers haven't stopped there: They've also passed a resolution to define life as starting at conception, which would outlaw abortion entirely. That resolution is likely to come before voters in 2014. So, yeah, they've been busy up north.

What are your thoughts on the North Dakota law?

Photo: Thinkstock

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Maggie MallonWeb producer, writer, and girl. Never once have I forgotten about Dre.